It’s the end of another week, which means it’s time for another weekly roundup of the latest Disney theme park news! This week includes the opening of a brand new restaurant in Disney Springs, as well as some exciting updates from both coasts.
As the year winds down to a close, much of the news we hear about has to do with looking ahead to 2024 and some of the exciting additions coming to Walt Disney World and Disneyland Resort. As the calendar starts to be filled in, it has never been a better time to start planning your vacation!
Summer House On The Lake Opens at Disney Springs
This month alone, Disney Springs has opened two brand-new dining locations! Following the opening of eet by Maneet Chauhan comes Summer House on the Lake, a new table service restaurant.
Summer House is a small chain of restaurants based out of Chicago and features a seasonal menu and a cookie bar featuring over fifteen flavors of oversized cookies.
Summer House officially opened its doors at the new Disney Springs location on December 14. Reservations can be made on OpenTable!
CLICK HERE TO LEARN ABOUT HARD-TO-GET WALT DISNEY WORLD DINING RESERVATIONS IN 2024
Disney Vacation Club Cabins at Disney’s Fort Wilderness Resort New Look Unveiled
The Cabins at Disney’s Fort Wilderness Resort will receive a new, updated look, debuting in the summer of 2024. This week, we got a new look at the concept art of these new cabins, which will also become the latest Disney Vacation Club location at Walt Disney World.
The cabins will be able to sleep six guests between a queen bed, twin bunk beds, and a queen pull-down sofa. In the kitchen, guests will find a dining nook and a full kitchen with a refrigerator, dishwasher, convection, and microwave oven with countertop burners.
The cabins will also come equipped with a 65-inch and 55-inch TV, a vanity outside bathroom, an indoor shower and vanity, and a patio deck with a grill.
Overall, the cabins will feature a much more modern look that their predecessors! An exact date for when the cabins will debut next summer has yet to be announced.
CLICK HERE FOR YOUR 10-STEP GUIDE TO PLANNING A WALT DISNEY WORLD VACATION IN 2024.
Disney World Announces First Date of 2024 EPCOT International Flower & Garden Festival
With a new year comes a new lineup of the four annual EPCOT festivals. The year kicks off with the Festival of the Arts from January 12 through February 19. New this week was the unveiling of the kickoff of the International Flower and Garden Festival, which will begin on February 28.
An end date was not announced this week, but the Flower and Garden Festival typically runs for four months. The 2023 festival ended on July 5, so expect 2024’s to last around the same length of time. The springtime EPCOT festival is best known for its colorful floral topiaries that can be found around the park, in addition to the many food booths that sell smaller-portion food and drink items.
CLICK HERE TO READ ABOUT WHICH SEASON YOU SHOULD VISIT DISNEY WORLD IN 2024.
Disneyland Sets Final Date of Haunted Mansion Holiday and the Start of Construction
As the holiday season draws to a close in early January at Disneyland Resort, so will this year’s run of Haunted Mansion Holiday. The last day of the seasonal overlay of Haunted Mansion will be January 21. Normally, the ride is unavailable for a week or two in order to transform it back to its original version, but that will not be the case in 2024.
As previously announced, the area surrounding Haunted Mansion will receive a fresh new look in 2024, with the extended outdoor queue being transformed, a new elevator exit being installed, and a new gift shop being added.
Disneyland has not announced an end date for this construction, but we can expect it to take up much of 2024. It remains to be seen if we’ll see the original Haunted Mansion at all in 2024 (Haunted Mansion Holiday typically returns in early September). Only time will tell!
